Irene Isn't Stopping The Killington Hay Festival

The 4th annual Killington Hay Festival with its signature “Grass Menagerie” officially kicks off this weekend despite Mother Nature’s attempt to dampen the popular fall attraction. The Killington Hay Festival is a celebration of the Vermont harvest built around a collection of giant hay animal sculptures displayed throughout town.

Plans for a Labor Day start to the festival came to a halt when flooding from Tropical Storm Irene hitVermontand the Killington region hard, causing road closures into and out of town, and threatening whether the Hay Festival would even take place. But due to extreme volunteerism and the ‘can-do’ attitude of Vermonters, then Route 4 through Central Vermont reopened a few days ago, and plans immediately resumed.

Although recovery efforts caused some events to be postponed until next year, a shortened Hay Festival encompassing three of the biggest fall foliage weekends will go on as planned. The condensed three-week festival still features multiple events and activities including a scavenger hunt, a handcrafted hay maze, a specialty Hay Festival Ale by Long Trail Brewery, Killington Resort’s Brewfest Weekend, and The DockDogs National Championships. The Hay Festival also announced a partnership with Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo, where a giant hay sculpture of a baby red panda will promote the Killington Hay Festival during the month of October.

The Killington Hay Festival’s Grass Menagerie displays, scavenger hunt and hay maze continue through October 10. Maps are available at Hay Festival Headquarters, located at the Gristmill Restaurant on the Killington Road. Additional information on the Hay Festival and other events is available online at DiscoverKillington.com.